I turn to you all smart people for my dilema of the day?

I can never cook eggplant properly, it always comes out too oily. Tell me, is cooking it with less oil better? But, it sucks up the olive oil so fast, I always tend to add more then I am stuck with oily eggplant. I want to bread it with bread crumbs first, how do I make the bread crumbs stick? Please please help me make one of my all time favorite dishes. I have the sauce down, just not the cooking of the eggplant.

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the meat department and buy a pound of veal cutlets.

I grill it ~ usually always, or broil it

I don't care much for the breaded type ~ always seems the eggplant is overcooked and the breading undercooked/soggy/oily

Mach said:

I grill it ~ usually always, or broil it

I don't care much for the breaded type ~ always seems the eggplant is overcooked and the breading undercooked/soggy/oily

When you grill it, do you just add a little olive oil, salt and pepper??

Genesia said:

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the meat department and buy a pound of veal cutlets.

I am not a vegetarian, but I do love eggplant.

Genesia said:

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the meat department and buy a pound of veal cutlets.

PaisleyPark5083 said:

Mach said:

I grill it ~ usually always, or broil it

I don't care much for the breaded type ~ always seems the eggplant is overcooked and the breading undercooked/soggy/oily

When you grill it, do you just add a little olive oil, salt and pepper??

Yes ~ or whichever herbs/seasonings I am feelin too

Mach said:

PaisleyPark5083 said:

When you grill it, do you just add a little olive oil, salt and pepper??

Yes ~ or whichever herbs/seasonings I am feelin too

Thanks for not suggesting I have the veal instead.

PaisleyPark5083 said:

I turn to you all smart people for my dilema of the day?

I can never cook eggplant properly, it always comes out too oily. Tell me, is cooking it with less oil better? But, it sucks up the olive oil so fast, I always tend to add more then I am stuck with oily eggplant. I want to bread it with bread crumbs first, how do I make the bread crumbs stick? Please please help me make one of my all time favorite dishes. I have the sauce down, just not the cooking of the eggplant.

1. Do you "sweat" the eggplant slices first to drain them of excess moisture?

(slice the eggplant, salt it and put it in a strainer for a while. The slices will start to sweat out water. Pat them dry and bread as usual.)

2. If they're coming out oily, the oil is probably not hot enough. The oil needs to be very hot (around 375F), or your food will soak up all the oil. (Oil that's too cool will also make the breading fall off.) Is the eggplant sizzling and bubbling immediately when you put it in the oil? The oil should bubble around it like crazy when you set it in the pan - but not TOO crazy - you don't want it to burn.

I don't use olive oil for frying anything. I love olive oil, but it's too heavy for frying, and has a low smoke point - meaning it burns at a lower temp than other oils.

Peanut oil is my favorite for frying - it makes light, crispy fried foods.

[Edited 7/27/10 9:30am]

PaisleyPark5083 said:

Mach said:

Yes ~ or whichever herbs/seasonings I am feelin too

Thanks for not suggesting I have the veal instead.

ewww god NO !!

PaisleyPark5083 said:

Genesia said:

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the meat department and buy a pound of veal cutlets.

I am not a vegetarian, but I do love eggplant.

My comment had nothing to do with anybody being a vegetarian or not. I just don't like eggplant.

PunkMistress said:

PaisleyPark5083 said:

I turn to you all smart people for my dilema of the day?

I can never cook eggplant properly, it always comes out too oily. Tell me, is cooking it with less oil better? But, it sucks up the olive oil so fast, I always tend to add more then I am stuck with oily eggplant. I want to bread it with bread crumbs first, how do I make the bread crumbs stick? Please please help me make one of my all time favorite dishes. I have the sauce down, just not the cooking of the eggplant.

1. Do you "sweat" the eggplant slices first to drain them of excess moisture?

(slice the eggplant, salt it and put it in a strainer for a while. The slices will start to sweat out water. Pat them dry and bread as usual.)

2. If they're coming out oily, the oil is probably not hot enough. The oil needs to be very hot (around 375F), or your food will soak up all the oil. (Oil that's too cool will also make the breading fall off.) Is the eggplant sizzling and bubbling immediately when you put it in the oil? The oil should bubble around it like crazy when you set it in the pan - but not TOO crazy - you don't want it to burn.

I don't use olive oil for frying anything. I love olive oil, but it's too heavy for frying, and has a low smoke point - meaning it burns at a lower temp than other oils.

Peanut oil is my favorite for frying - it makes light, crispy fried foods.

[Edited 7/27/10 9:30am]

Well for heavens sake, thanks for all your wonderful tips!! I can not wait till tonight to try this out, I am here at work dreaming of eggplant parmegan!!

PaisleyPark5083 said:

PunkMistress said:

1. Do you "sweat" the eggplant slices first to drain them of excess moisture?

(slice the eggplant, salt it and put it in a strainer for a while. The slices will start to sweat out water. Pat them dry and bread as usual.)

2. If they're coming out oily, the oil is probably not hot enough. The oil needs to be very hot (around 375F), or your food will soak up all the oil. (Oil that's too cool will also make the breading fall off.) Is the eggplant sizzling and bubbling immediately when you put it in the oil? The oil should bubble around it like crazy when you set it in the pan - but not TOO crazy - you don't want it to burn.

I don't use olive oil for frying anything. I love olive oil, but it's too heavy for frying, and has a low smoke point - meaning it burns at a lower temp than other oils.

Peanut oil is my favorite for frying - it makes light, crispy fried foods.

[Edited 7/27/10 9:30am]

Well for heavens sake, thanks for all your wonderful tips!! I can not wait till tonight to try this out, I am here at work dreaming of eggplant parmegan!!

How do you bread the eggplant? For me, the best way to make sure the breading stays on is to dip them in seasoned flour first, shaking off excess, then dip in beaten egg, then seasoned breadcrumbs with some grated Parmesan stirred in. Firmly press the breadcrumbs onto each slice.

PunkMistress said:

PaisleyPark5083 said:

Well for heavens sake, thanks for all your wonderful tips!! I can not wait till tonight to try this out, I am here at work dreaming of eggplant parmegan!!

How do you bread the eggplant? For me, the best way to make sure the breading stays on is to dip them in seasoned flour first, shaking off excess, then dip in beaten egg, then seasoned breadcrumbs with some grated Parmesan stirred in. Firmly press the breadcrumbs onto each slice.

I was just using the beaten eggs, without the flour. But the flour makes sense, that is how you bread chile's for chile relleno's. Yumm! God I am getting soo damn hungry!! Only 2 hours till lunch.

Genesia said:

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the meat department and buy a pound of veal cutlets.

Ha! I was gonna suggest the following: cut it into nice big chunks (about 1 inch square), moisten with a little water and roll it in garlic bread crumbs, shake on a little black pepper, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. After it's done, take out of the oven and promptly throw in the trash.

Poiple said:

Genesia said:

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the meat department and buy a pound of veal cutlets.

Ha! I was gonna suggest the following: cut it into nice big chunks (about 1 inch square), moisten with a little water and roll it in garlic bread crumbs, shake on a little black pepper, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. After it's done, take out of the oven and promptly throw in the trash.

I've done that - it works great!

PaisleyPark5083 said:

PunkMistress said:

How do you bread the eggplant? For me, the best way to make sure the breading stays on is to dip them in seasoned flour first, shaking off excess, then dip in beaten egg, then seasoned breadcrumbs with some grated Parmesan stirred in. Firmly press the breadcrumbs onto each slice.

I was just using the beaten eggs, without the flour. But the flour makes sense, that is how you bread chile's for chile relleno's. Yumm! God I am getting soo damn hungry!! Only 2 hours till lunch.

Yup, the flour is essential - it "glues" the egg and breadcrumbs to the eggplant instead of it just sliding off.

Genesia said:

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the likkur sto, get sloppy drunk and play with my veal cutlets.

I fixed your typos.

johnart said:

Genesia said:

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the likkur sto, get sloppy drunk and play with my veal cutlets.

I fixed your typos.

Fucker.

Season with olive oil, garlic powder, herbs and coarse salt and grill those bitches.

I also coat them in egg and dip in seasoned breadcrumbs (with added parm/romano cheese) and fry them. That is the way I cook them for Eggplant parm too.

Genesia said:

johnart said:

I fixed your typos.

Fucker.

johnart said:

Season with olive oil, garlic powder, herbs and coarse salt and grill those bitches.

I also coat them in egg and dip in seasoned breadcrumbs (with added parm/romano cheese) and fry them. That is the way I cook them for Eggplant parm too.

Went during lunch break to buy my ingredients, I am so cooking up eggplant parmegan for dinner!!

Thanks everyone!

even to those non-eggplant loving souls.

I really have nothing to add...I just wonder why its called an EGGplant...

thejason said:

I really have nothing to add...I just wonder why its called an EGGplant...

I wonder why you are so darn cute!

PaisleyPark5083 said:

thejason said:

I really have nothing to add...I just wonder why its called an EGGplant...

I wonder why you are so darn cute!

thejason said:

I really have nothing to add...I just wonder why its called an EGGplant...

Maybe because they're shaped like eggs?

PaisleyPark5083, we expect photos or at least a report on how it turned out!

PunkMistress said:

thejason said:

I really have nothing to add...I just wonder why its called an EGGplant...

Maybe because they're shaped like eggs?

PaisleyPark5083, we expect photos or at least a report on how it turned out!

looks more like a saggytit plant to me...

johnart said:

Genesia said:

Here's how I make eggplant parmesan.

Step one: Walk past the eggplant.

Step two: Go straight to the likkur sto, get sloppy drunk and play with my veal cutlets.

I fixed your typos.